09-14-2016, 02:39 PM
This morning, going to work, nothing out of the ordinary. Bit damp under the trees, nothing unusual or unexpected. Nothing untoward to suggest a different day than one in the office was lined up. Oh how one corner can change all that eh? Going round a right hander, in a 60mph zone but only doing 45-50 round the corner (it's an open enough corner, in the dry I wouldn't even slow down normally but today was damp, so eased off, as I have done every time that road is damp) when the back end slipped from under. 'Oh sh*t' thought I and rolling off the throttle in the hope of regaining it. Which it did, it went upright, but the back kept coming to the right instead. Full skid mode initiated! Throw the handlebars one way, then the other as the back went round the other way, then back again until the bike went "sod this" and spat me off, over the tank and into the oncoming traffic. Bike went towards the trees, I went head first into the traffic as a nice big landrover (you know, the sort of things that don't do a lot of damage if you hit them!) was coming the other way. Thought that was it for me but he saw me coming and swerved out of the way allowing me to skid along past and come to a stop in the middle of the road, face down with the bike near the trees on the left.
Someone called for an ambulance while I got to my feet (not quite as steady as I'd have liked) and got off the road. Then went back to get the bike off the road so not to hold up work traffic! List of injuries is nice and short though. Headache, foot pain, grazed knees. List of 'injuries' to inanimate objects slightly more extensive - helmet, gloves, jacket, trousers - all pretty much buggered. But they did their job - I walked away, got checked up by the ambulance and allowed to wait with the bike for the AA to come and take it home for me without needing to go to hospital. Sat at home now in a fair bit of pain knees/foot wise but able to hobble around and the bruises will heal. Just gotta take a look at the bike now, which I may do tomorrow when I can kneel hopefully.
And yet on the way home I saw three more bikers in shorts and tshirt. Why people do that is beyond me. Dress for the slide, not for the ride as they say - without the right equipment I probably wouldn't be typing this right now as I'd be in the hospital - or worse! Still, good excuse to buy the bigger bike I'm saving up for rather than repairing this one (if it needs much)
Someone called for an ambulance while I got to my feet (not quite as steady as I'd have liked) and got off the road. Then went back to get the bike off the road so not to hold up work traffic! List of injuries is nice and short though. Headache, foot pain, grazed knees. List of 'injuries' to inanimate objects slightly more extensive - helmet, gloves, jacket, trousers - all pretty much buggered. But they did their job - I walked away, got checked up by the ambulance and allowed to wait with the bike for the AA to come and take it home for me without needing to go to hospital. Sat at home now in a fair bit of pain knees/foot wise but able to hobble around and the bruises will heal. Just gotta take a look at the bike now, which I may do tomorrow when I can kneel hopefully.
And yet on the way home I saw three more bikers in shorts and tshirt. Why people do that is beyond me. Dress for the slide, not for the ride as they say - without the right equipment I probably wouldn't be typing this right now as I'd be in the hospital - or worse! Still, good excuse to buy the bigger bike I'm saving up for rather than repairing this one (if it needs much)
![[Image: Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg]](http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn12/Muddymonkeys/Crashtestmonkeyredsmall_zpsfc1e3d39.jpg)
Croft 2005, Cadwell 2006, Cadwell 2007
). I like your thinking about the right clothing. I always reckoned it was a case of the 'possible accident' doesn't know if you're out for a ride to the shops or off round the world........the upshot is somewhere, sometime shit will happen so dress for safety. 
